Monday, November 8, 2010

oh bugger!

About ten days ago, I thought about shaving my legs. Didn't get around to it though.

A couple of days later, this rash appeared. Red, raised, not pretty. Looks a bit like razor burn, but bigger spots.

On the lower leg, only on one side, and only on one leg. And I didn't shave!

I wondered if something had bitten me, or if I'd brushed up against something, but I've been wearing jeans or trackies, so no brushing up against anything in the garden, and the rash isn'titchy at all, so nothing has bitten me. And I've had it for just over a week now.

Well, it's very slightly itchy, but not enough to make me scratch, so that doesn't count.

I thought about a food reaction, because I have the raised spots on my left forearm as well, they just can't be seen under the tan, but I can feel them.

I get a similar rash, but with much smaller spots, like prickly heat, when I take in too much blue colouring #133. It's in most things that are artificially coloured green, like cordialand M&M's. So I don't buy anything now that has #133 in it.

The #133 rash comes on my inner forearms and under my chin. Odd, yes?

The only thing I can think of that's relatively new here is this Nescafe Cappuccino. This quite yummy Cappuccino.

I've had it occasionally before, but for a couple of weeks now, I've been having it every day. Usually one, sometimes two. So I'm going to stop. Go back to my regular (floor sweepings) coffee.

If this Cappuccino is the problem, the rash should disappear in a week. The packets contain a fair amount of milk powder, so that may be the cause, since I have a milk intolerance. The rash does look similar to eczema, just without the itch.

If it doesn't, then I'll have to do elimination trials on everything else I eat and drink. Bugger! That's a huge inconvenience!

Just like a few years ago, when trials pinpointed chilli, curry and Cadbury chocolate as triggers for my rosacea.

This is a skin condition characterised by constant redness of the flush areas of the face. (unless triggers are avoided). Initial cause is unknown, but triggers are many, different for different people.

For me, it's the above three and also coffee if I have too many per day. So one coffee is usually my limit.

Plus, just like my mum, coffee sends me running to the toilet way too often, so one a day and that's it.

MMBB; I'm going to have to wait for it to disappear and be gone for at least two weeks before trying the capp's again, then have two a day and see what happens. I really can't think what else it might be.

R.H. Can't possibly be heat rash, it's been fairly cold here lately until yesterday. Plus, the lower leg is an odd place for heat rash to show up.

I've been drinking the same stuff as you - your rash looks like heat rash but it's weird that it's only on one leg. Have you tried 'Curash'? It's some cream you can get from the chemist - LC uses it because he sometimes gets heat rash on the tops of his feet.

You need Hamilton's Pine Tar lotion with Menthol and you might have to look hard for it. I found it at my local pharmacy yesterday and very pleased to see it. I get a rash like this in the same place and nearly always in July/August so something flowers or grasses then that affects my legs to the knee and no further. The menthol takes the heat out and stops the screaming urge to scratch.

i just recently got something that looks very similar-- and same thing-- not so itchy-- on my forearms. I'm also thinking it's an allergic reaction to some type of food but haven't been able to put a finger on what just yet. found this site googling possible sources. it definitely is not heat rash as it's been below freezing here all week and it just appeared a few days ago. i had recently started taking a vitamin supplement (cataplex B) with a few odd extras in it (bovine liver, porcine brain and stomach) but nothing has changed since quitting the supplement. i'm interested about the food dye potentially causing the rash-- any other ideas yet? did it go away?